Bolton Council announces 1,200 job cuts
BOLTON Council has offered voluntary redundancy to 6,500 members of staff as it looks to shed between 1,200 and 1,500 jobs in response to the Government’s austerity measures.
The council has said that it need to make “record” savings of at least £60m over the next two years as a result of the reduction in the total amount of grants received by central government of more the £31m a year.
It said the reduction, coupled with an increased demand for adult and children’s social care services and an “unavoidable” increase in both transport and waste disposal costs has meant that it must find £41m of savings in its 2011/12 budget and £19m in 2012/13.
Among the areas likely to be hit are the Working Neighbourhood Fund set up to improve the quality of life in districts by reducing anti-social behaviour, and a reduction in Children’s services, which will lead to a targeting of services towards the most vulnerable.
It also said that a number of top management posts would be reduced, £5m of debt will be written off and some 39 vacant posts will not be filled.
The savings amounting to 25% of the council’s budget. Some 698 posts are likely to be affected in the next financial year, but 405 of these are currently vacant, meaning that only 293 jobs will be cut. It is now asking staff to consider voluntary severance or early retirement.
A statement issued by the council said it “will be consulting with and communicating regularly with all staff, unions, customers, residents and partner organisations to manage the impact of these reductions fairly and aims to minimise the impact on front line service delivery wherever possible”.
THe GMB union says more than 140,000 jobs at 203 local authorities are being axed as a result of the spending cuts. In the North West it says around 26,000 posts are affected.
